West Indies must walk through brick walls

Back in 1980s during the heyday of West Indian cricket supremacy, the UK Sunday Times editorial commented:

"We do suggest that we should all face the facts. The first is that the West Indies are the best thing on the pitch anywhere in the world at the moment...if you want entertainment, watch the powerful West Indies."

In the West Indies second innings I agonisingly watched the new brand of entertainment, capitulating from 85-2 to 129 all out.

The Australian bowlers surgically dissected the underbelly of the West Indian batting line up. King Lara (who was dismissed by the umpire in the first innings) looked stunned as Hayden spectacularly caught him in the gully off a full blooded square cut. As Lara dejectedly trodded off, swingman Bracken and firecracker Lee scented blood and dutifully went for the kill.

The Australians are undoubtedly a superior side, but on reflection, I quote the former Australian captain and present commentator Richie Benaud who said this in 1984 as the Australians were preparing to face Clive Lloyd’s invincible cricket team: "The West Indies have a great cricket team. They can be beaten and the way to beat them is not through airy fairy statements but through sheer hard slog and dedication by cricketers who want desperately to walk through brick walls to win, not just to take part."

We do not seem to possess the mental toughness to compete and unless our top order batsmen walk through brick walls in the next two tests and our outcricket significantly improves, the cries and tears of our West Indian people will continue to flow unabatedly.

REZA ABASALI

Barataria